Some yeast species can be applied for treatment of oil-contaminated wastewater.
Oil contamination is one of the most serious problems in agro-industrial countries. Fat, oil and
grease (FOG) are waste products from household food preparation and industrial processing.
The aims of this study are to isolate natural lipolytic yeasts from ripe pineapple and select for
high lipase activity on Tween 80 agar. The result showed that yeast isolate No.27 had high
lipase activity. It had oval-shaped cells with circular form, and the entire margin of the creamy
colored colony had raised elevation and a rough surface. The isolate was identifi ed as Candida
sp. using the ITS specifi c sequencing region and named Candida sp. strain RMUTSB-27.
This isolation grew well on YP medium containing 2% cooking oil waste as well as 2% glucose
at 32°C. For oil-contaminated treatment, 2% palm oil waste mixed with wastewater was added
Candida sp. RMUTSB-27 showed signifi cantly reduction in pH, fat, oil and grease, chemical
oxygen demand (COD), and total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) for 4 days. Our results indicated
that the yeast Candida sp. RMUTSB-27 is benefi cial for lipid uptake and degradation of
oil-contaminated wastewater and could be utilized for future green environmental treatment.